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Access Control Lists vs Capability Based Security

Developers should learn ACLs when building applications that require robust security and access management, such as multi-user systems, enterprise software, or cloud services meets developers should learn capability based security when building systems requiring high security, such as financial applications, healthcare platforms, or any environment where data integrity and access control are critical. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Access Control Lists

Developers should learn ACLs when building applications that require robust security and access management, such as multi-user systems, enterprise software, or cloud services

Access Control Lists

Nice Pick

Developers should learn ACLs when building applications that require robust security and access management, such as multi-user systems, enterprise software, or cloud services

Pros

  • +They are essential for implementing role-based access control (RBAC), securing APIs, and managing permissions in file systems or databases to prevent unauthorized access and ensure compliance with security standards
  • +Related to: role-based-access-control, file-permissions

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Capability Based Security

Developers should learn Capability Based Security when building systems requiring high security, such as financial applications, healthcare platforms, or any environment where data integrity and access control are critical

Pros

  • +It is particularly useful in distributed architectures like microservices or cloud-native applications, as it minimizes the attack surface by eliminating ambient authority and ensuring that only explicitly granted capabilities can be used
  • +Related to: access-control, principle-of-least-prilege

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Access Control Lists if: You want they are essential for implementing role-based access control (rbac), securing apis, and managing permissions in file systems or databases to prevent unauthorized access and ensure compliance with security standards and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Capability Based Security if: You prioritize it is particularly useful in distributed architectures like microservices or cloud-native applications, as it minimizes the attack surface by eliminating ambient authority and ensuring that only explicitly granted capabilities can be used over what Access Control Lists offers.

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The Bottom Line
Access Control Lists wins

Developers should learn ACLs when building applications that require robust security and access management, such as multi-user systems, enterprise software, or cloud services

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